Being a trainer is no simple task due to the constant grind of always being with the team. Texas State Head Football Athletic Trainer Allison Mitchell is in her second year with Texas State and has a full plate this year.
“[Players] are always injured, all people outside of [training staffs] don’t know what is going on behind the scenes and all the injuries we take care of,” Mitchell said. “We do preventative things to try to keep people feeling 100%. Those are things that are constant.”
Maintaining the health of players is not the only task this training staff must do at a week’s end. An average week for a member of the training staff comprises of consistent checks of the players and coaches.
“My injury report that I talk to coaches about is vastly different from what other people know,” Mitchell said. “I make an extensive injury report so that my communication with coaches can be thorough and that they know exactly what is going on with all of the players… that open communication is really important.”
When it comes to the relationship between coaches and trainers, transparency is the ideal goal, according to Mitchell.
Although the public may not know what is going on behind the scenes, it is important for teams to keep that information private from fans due to the nature of the heavy contact sport. Players are constantly dealing with injury problems even if it isn’t a major one. It is the trainer’s job to alleviate those issues to the point where the public does not know if a player is injured or not.
Although the average home game week for the training staff brings its own challenge, away games bring a different measure of organizational skills. The staff for away games have to prepare a lot earlier than home games and be more organized, adding more stress to an already time-consuming job.
“[Away games are different] mainly because of the travel. Our packing that we pack with all our stuff changes drastically when we have to put it in a trunk versus just using it [at home games], so we have to do a bit more preparation for an away game,” Mitchell said. “We load our 18-wheeler truck a couple days before the game, so we have to coordinate with equipment and all the other support staff to make sure that’s done appropriately and on time.”
Texas State football has not suffered any major injuries so far this season. Despite season-ending injuries last year from important roles, the comeback from one notable Texas State running back established trust and confidence for the staff going forward.
Texas State redshirt junior running back Lincoln Pare tore his ACL last season during a practice in the 2023 pre-season, forcing him to take a medical redshirt. His first year back after the torn ACL has been a journey, but his confidence remains high as his trust in the training staff continues to get stronger, he said.
“The journey was full of ups and downs. There were definitely some days where it was hard for me not knowing if [my] knee will be the same again,” Pare said. “There are some days where [my] knee feels really good, specifically around that three to four-month range, then the five to six-month range was really the downfall; but I just trusted the process that Miss Allison and Kristy [trainer] had for me.
An ACL tear is a challenging injury to come back from. Careers have been altered or ended after ACL tears, but Pare’s optimism within himself is what keeps him going, he said.
“They were everything [training staff] they are definitely the reason I’m back… on top of the training staff being everything, the strength staff was a massive part,” Pare said. “The training staff are always being positive and always having good plans for me to come in, I’m just very thankful for everybody in that facility.”
